Within
by Another Girl With a Pen
Summary: Power. Lust. Anger. Control. Desire. Pain. Instinct. And one simple looking girl that could take it all away from him. Alternate Season 2. Derek/OC
1. Her

The power was blinding. I could feel it scorching through my body. A fire burning through my chest. It dripped down my lips. The girls' blood in my mouth. I could hear, see, feel the venom making its way to her heart. It was pounding. A drum in the night air.

A howl in the night. Scott was near. He was always near even when he tried to stay away. He wanted to stay with the girl, Allison, but I knew it would not last. Argents. Silver. She will betray him.

The girl whimpered, but she smiled. I could feel her warming to my touch. Her heart beat slowed to a normal rhythm. She was not scared anymore. She was letting the fever take over her. Enjoying the freedom and power that would now be hers. The power that would now be mine. I released her from grip and let her fall silently to the bed.

"Erica. " I said her name. A low grumble at the back of my throat. Her eyes were closed but she smiled.

"Erica." I said again.

She looked at me. Her eyes burned. There was an anger and desire in her eyes. A burning need to run. Run as hard as she could into the night. Shed her skin and blaze through the silence, upsetting the piece of the world. I knew because I have seen that look in my own eyes. I've seen it in Scott's.

"You will stay here. I am your Alpha. I am your leader."

"Yes daddy." She said purring like a hungry kitten. It disgusted me because all I saw was the hunger that had haunted me all my life. She intertwined her fingers around my arm. Her nails dug into my skins. I pulled my hand away and turned toward the door.

"Isaac will be here soon. He will look after me. You are both to stay here till I return." I slammed the steel door shut. I made my way to the woods, into the darkness.

* * *

I had been running for a lifetime. The wind rushed through my fur and watered my eyes. Erica and Isaac where still in the safe house. I could sense it. So far, they listened to me. There would come a time when they would challenge my power and I would gladly push them back. I was stronger than ever. I ran faster, longer. I pushed against a tree, and it broke beneath me. There were no animals around. They could sense when werewolves were around. They could sense the danger that we travelled willingly with. There were no humans. Though most did not know of our existence, they seemed to have common sense to stay indoors on a full moon. Some ancient instinct that warned them of how frail they truly were. Erica's blood still sat at the back of my throat, so I made my way to the nearest stream.

Humans would say that it was a silent night, but I could hear all. The sounds that most overlook. The wind against leaves and the drips of water falling from branches into the hushed rapids of the tiny stream. The water was cool. And the metallic taste of blood was soon replaced by the cleanness of water.

The last time I had tasted blood felt like ages ago.

That was when I heard the crack. The splintering of a branch close to the stream. How did an animal that big get past me. That is when I recognized the slow beating of a human heart. I looked up. I bared my teeth. Ready to run.

There was a girl. A normal looking girl. In simple white pajamas. Her skin was pale in the moonlight, and her hair hung down long like chestnut tendrils. She was ordinary looking. If I had passed her on the street, I would not have thought twice, but here, in this place, as a wolf, she was the oddest human I had ever seen. Her eyes were the most startling part. They were calm. As if she was just watching television. They did not show fear like a normal human reaction and they did not shine with animalistic motive like a werewolf's. She frightened me. More than anything I had ever known because she knew what I was. She looked through me and knew everything, but she did not react. She didn't say anything. Just stared. Her hands at her side, and her dark eyes piercing the night. Her face conveyed no emotion, and in that moment, though I could sense I was older than her, her face had the knowledge and experience of a human with one hundred years behind them.

She frightened me. I bared my teeth. Kicked the dirt behind me and lowered myself to a defensive position. I growled, deep from within. Nothing. She just stared ahead. I looked behind me, expecting someone else.

I howled and ran. Ran for a lifetime. But that never would get me far enough away. I found my abandoned clothes. I slipped into them and drove far out of town. I would have to go back in the morning for Isaac and Erica. The girl wasn't a threat, not yet, but she rattled me to the core. I half expected her to show up in the night.


	2. Omega

Running was the easy part.

A blind pain ran up my arm. Prickling every inch of my skin. The passenger seat was not the most comfortable place to sleep, but it had done its job. Last night's encounter seemed insignificant now. She was nothing—a catch of the light, a trick of the shadows. The only thing I had to worry about was my pack. They were new. Ripe. They needed discipline.

I found them at the safe house. They itched with anticipation. They wanted action. Something to sink their teeth into.

"Behave."

They smiled. Of course we will behave. They told me. Something so new can easily be bent. Molded into the perfect pack. Scott was still an issue. With him, I could easily rule. He had enough experience to teach the new members. I didn't want to waste my days house training.

We want to be like you. They told me. Teach us how to shift on demand. Teach us. Teach us.

Soon. But they weren't ready yet. They were children.

* * *

I spent most of the next few weeks teaching them how to attack. How to be monsters. They had the instinct, but they needed to be refined and molded. If I was going to convince Scott, I needed to show him the true power of pack, and I also needed to show him the powerlessness of an Omega. Werewolves are a species designed to obey. To follow. I was meant to lead. Scott would soon see this. I had scented out the new Argent leader. A hard, old man. He was more powerful than he looked, and his knowledge caused me uneasiness. They wanted revenge for Kate. I am not to blame, though I wish I was, but I know I am a target.

If they come, I will be ready.

Beacon Hill had become a hot bed of commotion that went unnoticed by humans. But I could feel the fire that was consuming the town. Kate. That bitch had got what she deserved, but she came with a lot of baggage. I had also begun to notice more Omegas roaming the woods. They usually stuck up north in the wilderness of Canada, where they could roam unnoticed, but something had unsettled them. Whenever I stalked one at night, they soon caught my Alpha scent and took off. They didn't unsettle me enough that I chased after.

"I want to get out. Let me out." Erica pleaded with me. She was like a caged animal tearing at the bars with her teeth.

"Stop asking, and maybe you will get out of here."

She slumped into her seat. Scratching her nails against the wall behind her. I had Isaac and Erica run drills for hours. Until their arms were sore, and they pleaded to stop. They needed to be ready.

Isaac often looked off out the window at some unknown point. I had to snap him back.

"Daydreaming will get you killed." I said.

* * *

I found Scott running in the woods. He was attracted to the scent of the Omega as well. He had come to see what the Argents were up to. He did not see me coming, but he was not surprised.

"You see what they do."

"Not all of them." He said.

"All." I said placing my hand on his shoulder. The Argents were toying with the Omega. Asking him questions that they knew he did not know the answer to. "He is weak. He is an Omega. We are weaker alone. Stronger in a pack."

"I'm not joining your pack." Scott pulled away. He stared at the Omega. Listened to him cry out. "We should help him."

"Be my guest." I wasn't going anywhere near the Argents or their sick little games. Enough Silver for my lifetime.

The Omega cried out. Scott looked away as they split him in two. I looked into his eyes and saw a similar fate.

* * *

I dreamed all in white, and I saw her eyes. She wasn't real, but she haunted me. I pushed her away in the daylight, forgetting her, but at night, she easily climbed back into my head.


	3. Conversations

Isaac and Erika do not ask to leave anymore, but I can see it in their eyes. They want to be let free, so I let them run through the woods at night. They sprint around and nip at each other heels. Their naïveté is almost sickening. They listen, but they are always looking for ways to shove forward, exploring their boundaries and seeing how far they can push me.

They have to go to school. It would start to draw attention. I need them there to be on the look out for new members, and to look out for Scott and his misfit pack. I find myself drawn to the school often. There is something depressing about the kids going about their days. They are so vulnerable and frail. I listen to their heartbeats. They thumb through my head like a drum line. The cacophony of the screams, laughter, banter is fizzled out by the conversation between Scott and Stiles.

"You can't really show up at family dinner and profess your love." Stiles nasally voice rings through the screech of locker doors.

"I think that is clear by what I saw with the Omega."

"Does the grandpa know about you?"

"I don't know. I haven't really gotten around to asking."

"Oh, hey Allison. Nice to see you here. How is your creepy grandpa doing?" Asked Stiles.

"Stiles." Yelled Scott.

"No, its fine, grandpa has definitely entered creepy status." Allison said.

The bell screeched, and kids headed to the buses. I should leave, but information on the Argent could be helpful. I leaned against a tree near the parking lot. The three walked out into the afternoon heat.

"So what do you mean Allison?" Stiles scanned the lot looking for Argents.

"I heard him talking to my dad about Derek and his pack. He is planning on getting rid of all the werewolves in town."

"Yeah I think we knew that." Scott looked weary.

"Derek is not my pal or anything, but maybe you should warn the guy." Said Stiles.

Scott looked right at me. "I think he knows."

This wasn't news, but that didn't mean it stung any less. Isaac and Erica walked over to the tree.

Isaac was laughing about some new girl that had freaked out at lunch and spilled her food. "Told the teachers she had a migraine or something. Split spaghetti sauce all down her shirt."

"Shut up." Erica roared at him. Her wounds were still deep.

I nodded for them to follow. The buses began to pull out of the parking lot, as the two climbed into the back of my car. The sun shone on the yellow tops, giving off a warm glow. Students stared ahead bored and tired. I could see their faces in the dirty glass. A boy aimless chewed on a piece of gum. Two girls laughed at some mindless joke. Another boy draped his body off the back of the seat trying to steal a glance from the girl behind him. I couldn't see her face, but I could see her chestnut hair.

* * *

I caught his scent in the early parts of the afternoon. He hadn't been in these parts for years, but I knew where I would find him. In a bottle of scotch.

"So that's the stench." I said to the man sitting at the bar. I pushed through the door, and Isaac and Erika stumbled in after me. "Play nice." I mumbled to them under my breath. They leaped around the pool tables finding some human to toy with.

"Made yourself some friends, Derek?" He didn't turn around. His gaze was focused on the bottom of his glass.

"What are you doing here, Holden?" I sat down beside him.

"Just passing through." He swirled the last of his drink before tipping it to his lips. "How's Laura?" He smiled.

I let his remark pass. "She said you could never come back here." Holden had caused Laura trouble in the past. He was known for downing a bottle of scotch and then turning in front of his drinking buddies. She had used all her resources to get him out and silenced the few humans that had seen him.

"I shouldn't be too worried about a dead Alpha and her baby brother, should I?" He slapped his hand on the table and laughed. He was already drunk.

"Passing through you said? It's time to pass." I grabbed him by the collar and slowly walked him out of the bar. Erica and Isaac followed. Holden didn't put up much of a struggle, and I carried the rest of his dead weight out and threw him against the trashcan.

Holden laughed. "You better watch out Hale. There are things coming that are a whole lot bigger and stronger, and I don't know if your pups are going to do."

Erica hissed at him.

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged and leaned against the trashcan for support. "Just talk. Something big is coming from out of Yellowknife." He rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a cigarette. "I've grown tired of the cold. Think I'll settle somewhere warm, like Santa Cruz." He struck a match and let out a weak laugh. Under the warm glow his face looked frightened, surrounded by the dark alley of the bar.

"Something big?" Isaac asked.

"Or someone." Holden blew out the match and began to stumble towards the road. "Don't worry pups. I'll be out of your hair by the morning. Just passing through." He smiled and tipped his hat.

"Who is he?" Isaac asked. Both their faces were stern.

"He is an Omega."


	4. Invitations

I had to show Erica and Isaac the danger that we were facing. One night I took them to see the execution of an Omega. Isaac flashed his teeth and Erica hissed into the night. "We should kill them all." They said. Their eyes shown in the night.

"They will kill you first."

They laughed. "I'd like to see them try."

"One day they will but not now." I grabbed their faces. They must understand. "You will behave. Or I will end you myself."

* * *

Scott found our safe house.

"Have you decided to join?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"I think you should know that the Argents are worried."

"What do _they_ have to be worried about?" I spat out the question and gripped the arms of my seat.

"Allison said her grandpa is not happy about the number of Omegas that are coming through. He won't tell her why. I don't think he trusts her."

"Grandpas found out about Romeo?" Erica walked up behind Scott and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Scott stepped closer to me. "No. But I have a feeling they think it's you. They think you're planning something."

"Why would they think that?" I could feel my pulse rising.

"Because I think it is you." Scott did not waver.

I couldn't help but laugh. I stepped closer. "Me?"

Silence.

My voice rose. "Me? What do I need a bunch of Omegas for?" I pointed a finger at Scott. "I don't need your accusations. I can handle my pack on my own, and I will take care of the Argents with time."

"You can't do this on your own."

I looked to Isaac and Erica. "Seems like you are the only one that is on their own."

Scott tried hard not to show any reaction, but his feet faltered as he walked out the door.

"You'll be back. You need me." I called out into the night.

* * *

I had a dream about her again. She was dressed in a white gown. She touched my forehead as I lay in my childhood bedroom. The moment her fingers touched my skin the room erupted in flames. There was no sound. No roaring flame. No cracking of timber. No smell or charred wood and skin. Smoke did not fill my lungs or eyes. It was bright. I could see her face. She smiled. She opened her mouth, but I could not hear her words. The fire shone in her eyes, but I could not feel the heat.

* * *

"I was invited to a party." Erica smiled and threw the bright pink invitation onto the table.

"Me too." Isaacs's identical envelope landed beside it.

"From who?"

"Lydia Martin." Isaac smiled and exchanged a look with Erica.

Lydia Martin had been the last thing on my mind over the last few months. She was one more mystery that I didn't want to be caught in.

"We should go." Erica said.

"I can't remember the last time I went to a party." Said Isaac.

"You are lucky to even be invited."

"Coming from the spaz." The two began to show their teeth and nails.

"Enough." I rubbed my temple. My headache hadn't gone away since I had woken. "We will go, but it is only to monitor the Martin girl and McCall."

"And Argent." Isaac added.


	5. A Party

The back of the Martin residence had been turned into a nightclub. Nauseating banners and streamers hung from every available tree branch. Filtered pink lights illuminated the Plexiglas dance floor that floated over the dark, calm water of the pool. Besides the spotlights, the only other lighting was dimly lit chandlers placed above sitting areas at the back of the yard. I could not see the faces of the hot bodies that grinded against each other, and I had to push sweat cover shoulders aside to find a small chair seated in a corner. The spot was dark, and most dancers didn't notice my existence. It had been easy to sneak in, but I didn't want to draw much attention to myself. The DJ pounded music into my eardrum. I could feel my headache returning. I had the same dream about the girl. I've had it ever night this week, and I always wake up with a piercing pain at the back of my skull. Erica and Isaac danced. Many of the dancers had stopped to watch them cling to each other. They smiled and laughed and howled, which was drowned by the pulsating beat. They were here to have fun. They had forgotten the real goal of this visit ever since we had entered the party.

"What are you doing here?" Scott sat down next to me. He was breathing heavily from dancing with Allison.

"Having fun." I replied.

A girl in a green dress stood next to Allison and Stiles at the bar. Her face was turned, but her hair tumbled down her back in thick curl. I could not pin point her scent, heartbeat, or voice. There was just to many people around. Something about her stuck, and I waited for her to turn. Yet, she continued talking.

The DJ was infuriating. He yelled into the microphone. "Let's here a scream for Lydia." One of the spotlights focused in on her strawberry crown. She smiled and swept her hand over the audience. When I looked back in the direction of the bar, Stiles, Allison, and the girl in green were gone. This was a waste time.

"Derek." Scott grabbed my shoulder. "Are you there? I know you didn't come here for the dancing."

"I came to check on Lydia."

"Lydia?" Scott looked over to the girl as she tipped back a champagne bottle. "Clearly nothing has happened to her."

"That is the problem, something should have happened. "

"I can't worry about that right now. You shouldn't either. You should follow Erica and Isaac's lead. They're having a great time." The two were throwing back shots with a group of cheering kids.

"I don't follow." I stood and walked towards the back gate. I past Allison and Stiles. They looked nervous to see me here.

"Derek." Stiles added as I passed.

I didn't offer a hello. The back gate was already open. I walked along the small trail that led to a back road where cars littered the sides. Couples had found lonely sidewalks to sit on. They groped at each other, not coming up for air as they pressed their faces against one another. I walked past the houses. Cookie cutter boxes. The ignorant slept peacefully in their beds. They knew that the darkness was just that, a slipping moment in time that would soon break into day. The cycle repeats. They work. Sleep. Eat. Run. Fuck. Fight. Work. Cry. Laugh. Live. At least their own version of living. They believe they control their world, but it can easily be taken. All you need is a spark. A breathless moment. Your head is turned, your eyes are closed, and it is all gone.

"Not staying for cake?" The girl in green. She leaned up against a SUV with a champagne flute dangling from her fingers. Her face was half cover by a pair of pink, heart-shaped sunglasses, party favors I guessed. I had not noticed her as I passed. She stepped under the street lamp. She was short. Her lacey-green dress came above her knees and hugged her curves. Chestnut hair.

"No." I said.

"Liar."

"Excuse me." I stepped back. She stepped forward. I don't have time for this.

"You're a liar." Her pouty lips broke into a toothy smile. "I saw you at the party. You didn't seem like you were having fun." She stepped closer. Her heels clicked on the pavement. "My name is Livia." She extended her hand, but I kept mine jammed in my pockets. The street lamp shone in her sunglasses. Her heartbeat was steady. She looked at her toes. "My feet hurt. I should really take these off." She did so and placed her flute on the pavement. She was even shorter without the shoes. Frail. Easily broken. But her scent was not sweet as I'd expect. It was strong like pinecones and grass. "I've had too much fun for one night." She nodded, picked her heels off the ground, and began to walk across the street. She moved with grace and speed. She stopped half way across the street. "Shit." She whispered under her breath. "Sorry", she called out. She turned and walked within inches of me. She lifted her sunglasses and placed them on top of her head. "I forgot to ask your name. What's your name?"

I saw only eyes, and I was back in my nightmare. Fire and all.

I mumbled out my name. Her face faltered. She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you ok?"

I nodded.

"Do you go to Beacon Hills?"

I shook my head.

"Well I just started there a few weeks ago. It's different from Baltimore, but it's been interesting." She smiled. All I saw were her eyes. She didn't recognize me. I could tell that much, but they were still as mysterious as that night. An unsteady silence passed. " I should get home." She smiled. The dark hearts covered her eyes again. I saw my own reflection in them. I was pale and confusion riddled my brow. She turned and began to walk across the street once again.

"Would you like me to walk you back?" I called out. My voice trembled.

"No. I live right there." She pointed to a large brick house. "See you around Derek." She smiled again.

I sat outside of her house that night. A light went on, but the blinds were shut. I found Isaac and Erica stumbling through the neighborhood in the early parts of the morning. They wished I had stayed. The party was one for the records, they said. Erica pulled out an identical pair of heart-shaped glasses and placed them on Isaac. They laughed. I ripped them off and crushed them on the pavement.

* * *

_Comments would be greatly appreciated. Let me know what I'm doing right and wrong :)_


	6. Questions

_I have been taking a break from writing, but within the next week or so I will have a lot of chapters to publish. Thank you to all the readers. I hope you are enjoying the story. Reviews would be greatly appreciated._

_-E_

_PS If anyone is interested in the music that I listen to when writing, here is one of my inspirations. Alex Clare's cover of the Etta James classic, "Damn Your Eyes." Here is the youtube link, watch?v=9KoQf7_ISVE . Enjoy =)  
_

* * *

Every night I found myself drawn to 317 Landon Court, and every night I found myself disappointed that Livia was not abnormal. I expected her to be a werewolf, though I knew at first sight she wasn't. I expected her to be a hunter, or anything, but she watched television every afternoon, said goodnight to her father, I presumed, flossed her teeth, and was in bed by 9. Up by 7 for school. She drove an old, silver Toyota. She never slipped up. Never let on to anything. That is why I continued to watch her from a distance.

I found myself smiling at the cheesy jokes her father, who she called August, greeted her with. I listened to the crime drama that she watched in the evenings after dinner, and though I could not see the actor's faces, I could hear the dramatic music that signaled the case had gotten hot. I listened to her sleep. Her deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Heart slowing to a lethargic thump, thump, thump.

I barely ate. Sleep did not come easily. Isaac and Erica were well behaved enough that I let go of the leash. I ordered them not to follow me, but I am sure they had caught on to where I go, though, they did not understand my motives. I don't understand them myself. I should be paying attention to more important things, the omegas, the Lydia situation, the Argents, but I am drawn to this house like a moth to a flame. I am still waiting for the glow to burn me. Eat me alive.

I don't follow her to school. To easily noticed, but I find a moment one night to corner Stiles.

You can hear Stiles a mile away. He clomps around when he thinks he is being quiet. He is a joke when he thinks he is being smooth. I find him sneaking around Lydia's front porch. Probably trying to build up courage to ring the doorbell. I grab a hold of his shoulder. He lets out a screech. I am surprised he doesn't wet his pants.

"Jeez, Derek. You really have to work on your entrances. What are you-"

"What do you know about Livia?" I asked.

"Livia Ralph?" He looked confused. This is the first time I have heard her last name. It rolls off the tongue.

"Livia Ralph." I mumble.

"Yeah." Stiles drawls out every syllable in the word. He looks around half expecting to see someone behind us. "She's new. Pretty, but strange."

"Strange?" I glare at him. I have been watching her for days, and strange is not the first word that comes to mind.

"Not wolf strange." His eyes get big. "She gets these migraines in class sometimes. She stares off a lot, like she is on a different planet. She's hard to have a conversation with. Believe me, I'm her biology partner. We can barely get through a lab without me having to reel her back into reality." He looked into the window, grabbed the door knob, but didn't knock it. He took a big breath, and turned back to me. Seemed surprise that I was still standing there. "That's all I know." He shrugged his shoulders. "Allison has been buddy, buddy with her. I heard them talking about how she's going over to Allison's house tonight for dinner."

"Livia and the Argents." I let it sink in.

"Yeah." Stiles said. "Maybe they need a new recruit." He smiled at his joke, but it soon disappeared. "Why are you so interested?"

There was a shuffling behind the door, and Lydia stepped out into the quickly darkening night. She stepped back in and flipped on the porch light.

"Stiles? What are you doing here?"

"Oh Lydia. I am so glad I ran into you here."

"This is my house."

"Yes, you are correct." Stiles turned, but he did not find me. I was already a few houses away. I tuned out the rest of their pathetic conversation. Livia wouldn't be at home tonight. She would be eating dinner with the devil.


	7. Memories

My mother use to tell me stories of where our family began. She would recount the many origins. Werewolves were spread through out Europe and the world.

"Who was the first werewolf?" I would ask her.

She would knit her brow. "I am not really sure." She would say with a smile. She'd then recount fanciful stories of princes who turned into wolves at night and stalked young princesses. Witches who turned scorned lovers in to wolves. They were depressing and scary stories for a child my age, but I was not a child. They were beautiful stories, and I hold them tightly in my hand. I hope I never forget them because when I do, I will have lost the last bit of humanity left in me. She would use voices and faces, and my sister and I would hide our smiles under the sheets. She would wrap us in her arms and leave wet kisses on our foreheads that we would carry into out dreams as reminders that we would soon be home in her arms once more.

Her favorite story to tell was of the Roman brothers, Romulus and Remus. She told us that the two brothers were the sons of a virgin princess and the god Mars, and they were abandoned at a riverbed at birth. The river eventually carried them to a she-wolf who suckled them until they were found by a shepherd and his wife. Romulus and Remus would become the founders of Rome. This was my favorite story to hear because it was my mother's favorite to tell and it was one of the few stories in history that shined a good light on wolves.

* * *

My first instinct is to camp outside of the house, but I know differently. The Argents always protect their own, and I would be surprised to not find their followers watching the neighborhood for any sign of a werewolf. My only chance is Stiles.

"Are you going to Allison's tonight?"

Scott packing his lacrosse bag.

"Jesus, you really need to work on your hellos. You know people really appreciate it when you knock…"

"Are you going to dinner at the Argent's tonight?" I ask with all the composure I can muster.

He cocks his eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Listen closely tonight. I want to know everything they say. Everbody."

"I always listen when I am at Allison's. Wondering when her dad or grandfather are going to decide to stake me." He stops throwing gear into his bag. "Why am I listening to you? You aren't my leader." You stares defiantly. It takes everything in me not to rip his head off. "Maybe you could ask nicely. Maybe tell me why you have such a sudden interest in the Argent's pot roast."

"I've always had an interest in what that family talks about."

"Why now?"

"I think they are planning something." The lies come easily because it is probably true.

"What?"

"That is why I need you. I'll find you tonight."


	8. Dinner

_Well, I got caught up in the wheel that is life, but I am finally making sometime to write this story I have had in my head for a long time._

_Sorry for the extremely long delay._

* * *

I listen to Tyler's mother as she eats her TV dinner. She hums over the loud sounds of the game show. The noise is soft yet piercing. Her loneliness is quite apparent, and I am stunned that Tyler cannot sense it. Allison has blinded him from it. Happiness blinds most from the truth. I listen to the cacophony of crickets that envelope the night and the scrap of silver on ceramic. She breathes a sigh as a pair of headlights pull into the driveway. The crickets stop for a moment, and Ms. McCall stuff the dishes into the sink, trying to hide the remnants of her lonely evening from her son. I climb up to Tyler's window and sit on the end of the bed. Tyler exchanges words with his mother. Pleasantries. Wasted time because it is all lies. Tyler wishes to keep things "normal" but there is no use.

"Goodnight." Tyler calls out as he opens the door. He is not surprised to see me, just tired. "Nothing happened."

"What did they say?"

"They? Everybody?"

I rack my brain for a new approach.

"The dad and grandpa weren't even there. Hunting trip I guess," He raised his brow to hunting. "It was just us and the mom and Livia."

"Livia. Who is Livia?" I keep my breath steady looking at the threads in the carpet.

Tyler scratches his head. His lids fall over his eyes. "She's new. Allison has kind of taken her under her wing."

I pick at a string hanging off his comforter. "Why?"

"Why what?"

I am getting no where with this kid. I should just stop. This is getting ridiculous and silly. It's a dead end to nowhere. Tyler begins rifling through his book bag. Getting ready for school tomorrow.

"Theres nothing," he says.

"Yeah, I guess it doesn't matter." I walk out of the window and run into the night.

* * *

I cannot stop myself. I go to the place I shouldn't. Home. What's left of it. Nothing but charred wood and glass. It cracks under my shoes, and I breathe in. I don't let myself miss it. Missing it would be too hard. Vengeance is easy. My mother's voice in the soft night air. She reads to Laura and I. They are all dreams. Laura told me to never forget it. _Never forget the stories_. But I have to admit that sometimes it is easy to. When you see red and only blood can satisfy the hunger, that is when you forget the memories and dreams of the past. Everything is dead on this land, but the sounds do not stop. My own heart beat. The screams. The crackle of fire. It signals the night, and for a second, I wish it would all stop. And then a scream pierces the night.

It is like lightning. Sudden. Devastating. Painful and hot. And then is it gone as sudden as it appeared. It was a girl's scream. Human. I cannot tell where it came from. I shift on instinct. I do not want to be surprised by whatever made that girl scream.

I run out of the house. I should have never come here. The Argents probably have the place bugged. They could be hunting me or found the hideaway. I've let things slip.

The trees are a blur. The air is hot. I listen out for anyone, anything. Nothing. It's time to leave. Leave all of this. I've been comfortable for too long. The pack and I should move on. I run to a path leading out of the woods.

I stop. A dark figure is crumpled on the ground. They make no movement. It is human. I can tell by the soft beat of their heart. Long hair covers her back. It's a her. She lets go of a sigh. I step away. I need to get away from here. I turn. A twig snaps under my boot. Shit.

"Whose there?" She calls out into the night. Her voice is frail yet unwavering. "I can hear you."

It is _her_ voice. I step from behind the trees.

"Who are you?" There is no moon to light the night. "Don't even think of getting fresh with me," she says trying to make her voice deep and intimidating.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Who is that?" She narrows her eyes at my dark figure.

"Derek Hale. You met me the other…"

"At Lydia's." Her eyes widen and relief floods her face.

"Yes."

She looks around, down at her hands, and her clothes. She is in a large t-shirt and pajama shorts. Her feet are caked with mud and I can smell the blood coming from small scratches on her legs, probably from the bushes. She looks confused and worried.

"This isn't suppose to happen." She breathes under her breath.

"What?"

Her head pops up. "Could you give me a ride?


	9. Cinnamon

All I can hear is the roar of the engine as we race through the night. She is painfully quiet. She doesn't move. She looks straight ahead squinting at the passing road signs. I can barely hear her heart beat. She smells like cinnamon and it fills the entire car. It is intoxicating.

"Thank you." She readjusts herself. Pulling at the seatbelt.

"No problem." I clinch the wheel. Clear my throat. "What were you doing?"

"Hm." She says in a half dream.

"What were you doing in the woods all alone? It seems pretty far." She was miles from her house. The night was cold, and it was no easy walk, or jog, for that matter. There are dangerous things that stalk the night. Myself included. What if an passing Omega had chanced on her? An Argent? The Argents do not take kindly to any human that shows an attraction to the night.

"Oh, I wasn't home. I was at Allison's. I'm surprised she hasn't tried calling me." She reaches into her pocket checking the digital screen on the front of her phone. 1:40 shines but no missed calls. "Probably still asleep." She got out of the Argent house? Undetected? Allison's house may be closer, but it is still too far away to be taking a night stroll.

"I get restless when I am away from home. Walking makes it better." She mashes her lips together and her eyebrows. "You didn't hear me scream, did you?"

"How do you think I found you?" The scream still rung in my ears.

"I get these headaches sometimes," she lifts her finger to her temple. "Usually when I am around other people I have to keep it in. But not when I'm alone like that. Or what I thought was alone."

"Letting off steam?" I can relate.

"Yes," She smiles. Her eyes glisten as we pass the streetlights. "Exactly. Sometimes screaming can help."

"Migraines?" I ask as pull into Allison's neighborhood.

"I don't know what they are." She looks at her hands. They are folded delicately over her lap. She is lying. "I just tell people that. It's easier." She gives a nervous laugh. I park in front of the Argent house. All the lights are out. Like a sleeping monster. '"You haven't told me why you were out so late?" I look at her. She is so ordinary. But under the filtered light of the street she is like no creature I have ever seen. I can smell the blood rushing to her cheeks, and I get a new whiff of cinnamon as she pulls her hair behind her ear.

"Letting off steam," I say without much thought. I don't know why but it brings a smile to my face. Livia gives a small laugh.

"I better go." She looks nervously at the house. "Allison's mom sort of creeps me out. Don't want to wake her." She opens the door and the mixture of her and the moment rushes out into the night air. "Next time I see you, I hope it's not in the night." She smiles but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. She closes the door before I can respond. I don't think I could have.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Erica asks with anger in her eyes.

"Following that girl again, Derek?" asks Isaac. They exchange glances.

I throw him against a table and growl in Erica's direction. It is easier to act like I know what I am doing.


End file.
